View PDF files in Firefox or choose another viewer
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- Creator: AliceWyman
- Comment: changed Intro, new "Using another PDF viewer" heading, other edits
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Firefox includes a built-in PDF viewer to display PDF files inside the browser window. This article explains how to use the built-in PDF viewer, how to use another PDF viewer and how to fix the common issues you might encounter.
Table of Contents
Using the built-in PDF Viewer
Firefox includes a built-in PDF viewer that allows you to view almost all PDF files found on the web without a plugin. The built-in PDF viewer is enabled by default.
PDF Viewer toolbar functions
- View document thumbnails or outline - The slider button on the far left will open a sidebar with thumbnails of the document's pages. Some documents will also have an outline view available. These make it easy to navigate through a long document.
- Page up and down or skip directly to a page - You can use the up and down arrows to page through a document or enter the number of the page you want to go to.
- Change the size of the document - Use the + and - buttons to zoom in and out or choose a zoom setting from the dropdown menu.
- Fullscreen or Presentation mode - Click the fullscreen button to allow the PDF file to take over your entire screen. Press ESC to exit fullscreen mode.
- Print - Click the Printer button to open the print setup dialog.
- Download - Click the Download button to save the PDF file to your computer or to open it with a PDF reader program.
- Copy current view - Right-clickHold down the control key while you click
the current view button to open the current view in another tab or window.
PDF Viewer keyboard shortcuts
| Command | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Next page | N or K or → |
| Previous page | P or J or ← |
| Zoom in | Ctrl + +command + + |
| Zoom out | Ctrl + -command + - |
| Automatic Zoom | Ctrl + 0command + 0 |
| Rotate the document clockwise | R |
| Rotate counterclockwise | Shift + R |
Troubleshoot problems with the PDF viewer
- With certain types of PDF files, the PDF Viewer may have problems displaying fonts, colors or the whole document. If some PDF files don't render well or are blank, click the download button on the right side of the document header to open it with the default PDF viewer application on your computer.
- If you can't open any PDF files with the built-in PDF viewer, a Firefox extension could be the cause. You can disable all your extensions, to see if one of them was the problem. For details, see Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems.
Using another PDF viewer
If you'd rather not use the built-in PDF Viewer in Firefox, you can use a PDF reader plugin for viewing PDF files in Firefox. You can also view PDF files outside of Firefox using an external application.
To change from using the built-in PDF viewer to another PDF viewer:
- In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click and then select or , depending on your macOS version.Click the menu button
and select .
- Select the panel.
- Find Portable Document Format (PDF) in the list and click on the entry to select it.
- Click on the drop-down arrow in the Action column for the above entry. The Action entry will show Preview in Firefox when you're using the built-in PDF Viewer.
- To use a PDF reader plugin, select Use PDF plugin name (in Firefox).
- To use an external viewer, select the entry for the PDF reader application, such as Use Preview or Use Adobe Reader.
For more information, see View PDF files in Firefox or choose another viewer.
Using a PDF reader plugin
Note: You will not be able to use a PDF Reader plugin in the new 64-bit Firefox, which has limited plugin support. See How do I tell if I have the 32-bit or 64-bit Firefox?.
You can use a PDF reader plugin like Adobe Reader, Nitro PDF Reader or Sumatra PDF like Adobe Reader, MozPlugger, or KParts plugin, if one is available, to view PDF files in Firefox. If you have installed a PDF reader plugin but PDF files are not displayed in Firefox, try these solutions:
Enable the PDF reader plugin
Your PDF plugin may be disabled in Firefox. To enable it:
- Click the menu button , click and select .
- Select your PDF plugin.
- Select in its drop-down menu.
Reset download actions
-
Open your profile folder:
- Click the menu button , click and select .From the menu, select . The Troubleshooting Information tab will open.
- Under the Application Basics section next to Profile FolderDirectory, click . A window will open that contains your profile folder.Your profile folder will open.
Note: If you are unable to open or use Firefox, follow the instructions in Finding your profile without opening Firefox. - Click the menu button
- Click the Firefox menu and select .Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select .Click the Firefox menu and select .
- Delete (or rename) the mimetypes.rdf file.
Other solutions
- Re-initialize the plugins database. Follow the instructions in Re-initializing the plugins database.
- If the PDF reader plugin comes bundled with an application, check the application preferences, to see if there is an Internet setting to to enable the plugin or to display PDF files in the browser.
- If the PDF reader plugin comes bundled with an application, uninstall and re-install the PDF application. If the PDF application is Adobe Reader, uninstall all versions of Adobe Reader from your computer (see Adobe's instructions for uninstalling for Reader versions 8 and above) and then reinstall the latest version from Adobe's download page.If you still can't view a PDF in Firefox with the Adobe Reader plugin, see the Adobe help page, Troubleshoot viewing PDF files on the web.